Negative Effects of Using Transvaginal Mesh Implants

Transvaginal mesh is the medical device that would be implanted into the vagina of females in order to treat the conditions of weakened and damaged tissues. These meshes also find their uses in the treatment of various other conditions also. These kinds of medical implants are becoming popular for various treatments in female patients in the developing world. These are considered to be the medical devices as they are to be implanted into the woman’s body under the anesthetic.

Materials used to produce the transvaginal mesh:

The transvaginal mesh implants are manufactured using various kinds of synthetic and biological materials. These materials are porous in nature which would be containing numerous tiny holes that will allow the tissues of our body to be grown into the transvaginal mesh. The synthetic materials may be absorbable or non absorbable while the biological materials would be absorbable. The transvaginal mesh would be acting as the framework for providing the essential support. The transvaginal meshes will be looking similar to the slings or the hammocks. During the implantation, the incisions would be made inside of the vagina and the tissues that are supporting the vagina would be given the necessary strengths with the help of stitches. These implants are considered to be permanent.

Problems Associated:

Though the manufacturers of the transvaginal mesh are saying that these medical devices are safer, it is being told by different surgeons that these implants are to be used in less numbers. In addition to this, it is said that these implants are to be used only by the physicians who are well trained that too over a less number of female patients who are chosen very specifically. These patients should be holding the propensity for surgeries that could be successful.

It could be observed that the patients were claiming that the surgeries for implanting the transvaginal meshes have resulted in the internal injuries. There exists several numbers of lawsuits that were being filed against the manufacturers of transvaginal mesh implants. Starting from the year 2005 until the year 2007, US Food and Drug Administration noted over 1000 adverse reports for the transvaginal mesh.

More than 2800 reports of complications that were being associated with the use of transvaginal mesh implants used for treating the conditions of pelvic organ prolapse and the stress urinary incontinence have been received by FDA during the period of 2 years starting from 1st of January in the year 2008 ending at 31st of December in the year 2010. In the month of July in the year 2011, Food and Drug Administration issued two safety alerts for the surgical transvaginal meshes. One of those two alerts was given for POP and SUI while the other alert was given for hernia repair.

It has been pointed out by the FDA that it is not clear whether repairs using transvaginal mesh implants for pelvic organ prolapse is efficient than the other repairs that are making use of the non-mesh. Moreover, the transvaginal meshes might be exposing greater risk to the recipients.